Kirk Kerkorian: Notable chapters in the life of 'a born gambler' - Los Angeles Times

Kirk Kerkorian, who died Monday at 98, wasn't just a fabulously rich corporate investor, he was an uncommon individual: intensely private, a billionaire with middle-class touches, a self-described "gambler at heart. From his unassuming Beverly Hills office, he traveled the globe in luxury but drove middle-class cars around town. When the very private Kerkorian made his audacious takeover bid for Chrysler Corp. in 1995, he teamed with a polar-opposite personality: Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca. Iacocca had become one of America's household names by starring in the automaker's television commercials, where he challenged consumers with the catchphrase "If you can find a better car, buy it. ". Chrysler rebuffed the takeover bid. Like Iacocca, Mirage Resorts' flamboyant chairman, Steve Wynn, became a familiar face to Americans by appearing in his casino company's TV ads. By 2000, Wynn also was arguably one of the two most important figures on the Las Vegas Strip owing to his company's stable of hotel-casinos, including the Mirage and the Bellagio. And in 2000, Kerkorian effectively took out his Las Vegas rival with a $4. 4-billion buyout deal for Mirage Resorts. Kerkorian later would buy the Mandalay Resort Group as well. Today MGM Resorts International owns or has partial ownership of about 40,000 rooms in Las Vegas. Source: www.latimes.com